Free travel for women likely in Ordinary KSRTC buses only; to be implemented from June 15

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has decided to restrict its key election promise of free bus travel for women to ordinary KSRTC buses.

An expert committee of KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) has reportedly concluded that extending the benefit to higher-category services, beginning with Fast Passenger buses, would be impractical. The proposal to limit the scheme to ordinary buses is because allowing free travel on buses with reservation facilities could create operational challenges and disrupt services.

The state government will compensate KSRTC for the loss in ticket revenue resulting from the scheme. Preliminary estimates suggest that an additional ₹90–100 crore per month will be required for this purpose, over and above the ₹80 crore currently provided by the government for salaries and pensions.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, KSRTC carried around 3.5 million passengers daily. That figure has since fallen to between 20 and 25 lakh. KSRTC expects more passengers once free travel is introduced.

According to Chief Minister VD Satheesan, the government is aiming to roll out the scheme on June 15. A final decision is expected at the next Cabinet meeting. The government will later decide whether the scheme should be extended to other categories of bus services in the future.